MARISA WALZ
GOOD INTENTIONS
A deft and immersive psychological suspense debut about a luxury event planner who becomes obsessed with a woman she encounters in a hospital waiting room.
Cady has worked hard to have a good life. She has a thriving luxury event-planning business, the man she’s loved since she was seventeen, and a social calendar she can barely keep up with. She also has Dana, her identical twin, her beyond best friend, her most trusted confidante. When Cady gets a call that Dana has been in a serious accident and arrives moments too late to say goodbye, her world falls apart.
But to Cady’s family’s growing concern and confusion, it’s not Dana’s death that consumes her. It’s Morgan, a grieving mother Cady encountered in the hospital waiting room, the day her sister died. It can’t be a coincidence, that they both experienced tragedy at the same moment, in the same place—Cady doesn't believe in coincidences. Instead, she is convinced that she must help this stranger overcome her tragedy, in order to come to terms with her own.
Or...is there more to it? Is it possible that Cady wants something else from Morgan? Something she can’t even admit to herself?
Slyly twisted and deeply provocative, Good Intentions captures the moral ambiguity that can arise in the face of impossible choices. Like the aftermath of a car accident—and against your better judgment—you won't be able to look away.
COMING FEBRUARY 2026. PREORDER NOW!
Reviews
"Good Intentions is an absolute feat of a debut. Both an honest and unflinching exploration of grief and an extremely unsettling peek into one woman's snowballing obsession, Walz has managed to create one of the most complex and morally grey characters that I have encountered in a very long time." —Stacy Willingham, New York Times bestselling author of Forget Me Not
"A stunning debut with razor sharp tension and surprising twists. Good Intentions is a compulsive and chilling exploration of grief, obsession, and voyeurism. Walz is an author to watch!" —Jeneva Rose, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Divorce
"Walz’s delicious debut offers a gasp-inducing wild ride that will have you racing through the pages. When Cady's sister dies in a haunting accident that flips her world upside down, it becomes clear that she has her own dark, twisted past that she can no longer ignore. With an intense pace, captivating characters, and breathtaking prose, this is a must-read for anyone who loves a heart-pounding thriller." —Jessica Payne, author of Never Trust the Husband
"With a fast pace and a constant sense of foreboding and unease, fans of psychological suspense will be obsessed with Marisa Walz's debut. Good Intentions is a shocking, gritty exploration of grief and guilt with an ending that will leave readers stunned." —Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing and She's Not Sorry
"I can't remember the last time I inhaled a novel as quickly and eagerly as I did Good Intentions—I simply couldn't stop flipping the pages until I reached its mind-blowing end. This is a masterfully twisty debut; psychological thriller lovers are in for a delicious treat. I can't wait to see what Walz does next." —Carola Lovering, bestselling author of Tell Me Lies
"Eerie and provocative, Good Intentions kept me turning the pages until the last shocking twist. Marisa Walz’s debut is a captivating study of grief, obsession, and guilt for fans of domestic thrillers and Caroline Kepnes’ You. This story is a unique take on the stalker narrative and the perfect one-sitting read." —Lauren Ling Brown, USA Today bestselling author of Society of Lies